A Third Set of Teeth? What Tooth-Regrowth Medicine Could Mean for Dental Hygiene

Japanese researchers led by Dr. Katsu Takahashi have developed an experimental drug, TRG035, that may let people grow a third set of teeth by blocking USAG-1, a protein that normally halts tooth development. In animal studies, the antibody woke dormant tooth buds and produced new teeth in mice and ferrets. The drug has completed a Phase I safety trial at Kyoto University Hospital, and in August 2026 Japan's regulator cleared a Phase IIa study in 24 children with congenital tooth agenesis, with a goal of general use around 2030. Its first patients would be children born without some or all of their teeth, not adults who lost teeth to decay or periodontal disease. For dental hygiene educators, that means prevention, periodontal care and patient education remain as central as ever, and graduates should be ready to explain what is proven and what is still experimental when patients ask.

Source:  Dentistry Today & Global Happenings